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Post by Guy Jacques on Mar 25, 2016 23:00:28 GMT
Tourists. He never liked them. Especially the ones from Unova. While those from Kanto and Sinnoh, among the others, were usually polite and just took pictures and oggled the statues. Some went to the yard and enjoyed the maze puzzles that weren't even that challenging, while some toured the gift shop and bought some random cheap knockoff of the castle in miniature sizes changing from small to moderately big. Yet the Unovans could never bother to read the big sign that said "DO NOT TOUCH" in so many languages Guy had stopped counting after the tenth one. What was it with Unovans and the "touch everything you are not allowed to touch" gene. Maybe they're all secretly a bit inbred, it wouldn't surprise him at this point. Stereotyping was a sin he indulged in at times, along with some dark coffee.
His shift hadn't even started yet and he was already hating the day more and more. He sighed and took a sip of dark coffee, watching the yard and the gardens from the high vantage point. He had given his silent condolences to the day shift workers. At least during the night he only had to shoo off some teens who wanted to spray paint the gate or something, or maybe a Watchog that had gotten too close to the yard property. Yet they had to handle with the tourists and their inane wants. One had asked if they could buy one of the huge Pokeball statues for a measly price of one hundred thousand... Pah. They always think they can get whatever they want with a little bit of money. It was almost disgusting.
He placed his cup down for now, shifting in his seat. Quixote sat there next to him, idly sharpening his lances in preparation for the night. While there were no actual dangers to the job, it was always nice to keep on guard. Maybe it'd get more interesting once the sun set.
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Post by Serena on Mar 26, 2016 2:16:41 GMT
silence, here i am. here i am. ▼ » 8PM, after-hours.
"Yo."
When you worked a job like this, was the word 'yo' ever really an okay thing to hear? Especially when spoken in a Unovan accent by some hunched-over teenager who looked about as dumb as a brick?
"Uh... dude. I know it's after-hours, but I... I mean, like, a real close friend of mine dropped something seriously valuable out in the palace garden. I know it's... kind of a douchey thing to ask, yeah, but I just don't want anybody to pick it up and steal it tomorrow morning. It doesn't have a name on it or anything, so... please?" he asked, averting his eyes a little.
"Sc-scria!"
The Pokemon beside him was a Scraggy- absolutely typical. It looked a little frightened of the hulking Steel-type near Guy.
Along with the bleached hair and the ear piercings, perhaps the only thing that could make this kid look like more of a punk was a skull-shaped tattoo.
"Uh... the name's Ross, by the way. Ross Harper. I'm here with some friends from Nimbasa for spring break... please don't tell my parents I came out here." he said, before Guy even got a chance to respond. "Sorry. Please don't sic the bug on me..." he said, with a crooked yet pleading smile.
"I could, uh... do something for you in return, yeah?" |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Mar 26, 2016 12:06:11 GMT
Time passes when you have a cup of coffee in your hand. By eight PM his shift was about to start. One of the working maids here, Amedee, had notified him about half an hour ago that they'd be closing the doors for tourists in about half an hour. So, he had been lazing here for a while, and soon his real shift would start. So, why was the youth here. He took another sip of his dark coffee as he listened to his plead that was mongered out in the usual rough'n'tough Unovan style most of the thugs there had. You learn to deal with these people eventually, along with all of their accents. It helped distinguish if they were the wrong sort of people or not.
He turned his head and gave the thug a once-over with his eyes. There was some clear judgement and a little bit of sting in his gaze, but he sighed and placed the near empty cup down on the table with a small clink. The spoon rolled about in the black liquid for a moment before settling down. "I'm sure you could've asked some of the leaving maids. After all, you're still here after closing time, Harper." He sighs and slowly pushes himself up, stretching for a moment. A few cracks leave his back as he does so. He should really go and meet a masseu, or just get a hobby that'd let him move around a bit. These back pains would just grow with age if he didn't.
"I'll retrieve the item for you. You can return the favor by leaving as soon as you can. Staying in a historical monument after closing time can be a criminal offense, you know." Quioxte floated up from his sitting position, floating on over to be next to the now standing Guy. While one couldn't see much of it's facial features behind the helmet, it seemed to be snickering and smirking at the scared scraggy. "What item is it, though. Just saying valuable won't give me much of a clue."
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Post by Serena on Mar 26, 2016 13:40:49 GMT
Here we go. ▼ » Right. Maids.
Those apron-clad women that Ross seriously didn't have the heart to speak to. Instead of bothering the pretty girls, he had decided to take his chances with this guy.
He'd probably have gotten into less trouble having Scraggy here climb the courtyard wall and retrieve the object.
"It's... a silver photo locket, shaped like a heart." he admitted. "Must've fallen out through a hole in somebody's pocket. Next thing I know, I... I mean, this dude is all 'Hey, what happened to my locket?' So naturally I'm the schmuck who gets sent back here to look for it, since we were out in that courtyard for two-odd hours. Trust me, we scoured everywhere else it could have been. If a Murkrow or something picked it up, I seriously don't know what we're gonna do."
He paused, as he saw Quixote floating close. Scraggy had already climbed his pant leg and taken refuge in his hoodie, a small reptilian head poking out from between zippers.
"A-and yeah, we'll leave, dude! Trust me, I don't wanna be here either, but I'm in deep trouble if that thing is gone." |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Mar 26, 2016 15:17:41 GMT
He placed a hand on his chin, stroking it for a moment. A silver photo locket shaped like a heart? Carried by punks like these? A strange thought. Perhaps this person's friend was someone a bit more proper that was just getting involved with some bad apples out of necessity. A rather dark tale in the end, but it wasn't his job to question if people were going to settle down a dark route. His eyes trailed over to his coffee mug with a hint of desire, but he just gritted his teeth together and ignored the sweet call of his drink. Be still, heart. He'll be back for you later. "A silver photo locket shaped like a heart, eh... We've had some murkrow troubles before, but they usually only come by later in the evening."
He quickly turned and motioned for the youth to follow. "You're coming with me. If someone else happens to find you here without my protection, well. I don't think you'd want to get fined. Or worse." Usually, he had a more polite demeanor, but he never liked these tourists. Perhaps it just had to do with how they usually acted. His fast steps led him on off the porch and into the golden plated hallways. Quixote smirked and stuck it's tongue out a bit before floating after Guy, waving it's pikes in a manner that signaled that the two should follow.
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Post by Serena on Mar 26, 2016 20:22:33 GMT
seriously? You'll help? ▼ » Well, he wasn't getting fined for loitering. Which was good, since Ross's mother would have his hide if she knew his college funds were getting spent on criminal fines.
"You're a stand-up guy." he responded, before following. Scraggy, now fairly certain that Quixote wasn't going to try and stab a lance through him, leaped out of Ross's jacket and followed behind him, the little tap tap tapping of his feet punctuating the longer human steps.
This guy was snooty, but he couldn't turn down a request. Even the gruff types had soft sides.
Ross followed patiently."
"So, yeah. Probably in one of your fancy-schmancy hedge gardens or whatever. By the way, why is the entrance fee so much? Upkeep can't seriously cost 1000P per person, since thousands of tourist folk come per day- whoever actually owns this place must be made of money at this point. He probably adds Full Restore garnish to his tea in the morning, am I right?" he asked, laughing snidely at his own joke. |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Mar 26, 2016 21:08:14 GMT
A funny guy, eh? While Guy was walking a few feet in front of the other, he cracked a small smile. Not that he'd ever actually share the fact that he found the youth's joke funny. "I wouldn't know about the tea. You'd need to ask one of the maids, but... Yes, the owner of this place can be a bit. Eccentric." Or so the previous night guard had told him when he took over. A frail old man of around 60 years who had finally chosen to retire after nearly thirty five years of loyal service. A shame really, the old coot had at least forty more years in him to do this job, yet his employer insisted that he'd go and enjoy the last years of his life.
"It's for the upkeep. This palace is more important than you or me. Kings used to live here and walk these halls, royals would gossip behind some of the statues and forbidden love could be born near the marble spring at night. It was, and still is, a fantastic structure. A cultural relic of a time long gone that the current owner can barely keep standing due to it's age. Workers come in day and night, we just steer the visitors away from where they work while the tours are open. It'd be depressing for tourists to see such a grandiose place being repaired by some Timburrs and Conkeldurss, no?"
The speech was practiced thoroughly every night by Guy. Special instructions by the head of the palace. Sob stories like this always hit home well when you practiced them and worked hard. He didn't like the idea of slightly altering the truth and lying, but his job was on the line here.
"... But let's move on from that. Are you a tourist or someone who's moved here."
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Post by Serena on Mar 28, 2016 20:56:46 GMT
i don't live here. ▼ » "Well, uh... I'm a tourist, yeah. My friends and I came out here for a couple of weeks to chill during spring break. They're all camped out at Hotel Camphrier right now and probably getting ready for bed, but I promise we're not causin' trouble." Ross said, as his Scraggy reached into its shed skin and pulled out a candy bar.
"Hey, Scrags. Not cool. That was for the flight back home."
Scraggy looked up a little sheepishly, before taking another bite of the chocolate.
"Anyway, yeah, I get what you mean. It'd be weird seeing construction Pokemon working on this place, but it's also kind of the norm. Unless you have lots of high-tech machines, you still typically have them helping out with projects. To be honest, I think the end result is way more important than the means that make it happen." he said, but still seemed to buy Guy's response.
"So, uh... you like this job?" asked Ross. "With a Pokemon like that, I'm honestly shocked that you're not over in the Battle Chateau making mad cash off of the rich folks that frequent it. You have the looks for it, but here you are guarding some place you probably get pennies for." he said, almost laughing. "When I get older, I want to be an architect. The layout of this place is seriously amazing, but I'm into more modern stuff. They're rebuilding parts of Opelucid City after what happened there, and I hope I can assist with that sort of thing." |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Mar 29, 2016 10:33:04 GMT
"Architect? You?" Laughing at the youth would have been rude. Yet... He felt baffled. Almost surprised by the statement. He had suspected something along the lines of drifter or wannabe-hustler, yet this youth, this boy that looked like he'd be at home in the darker alleyways of any city wanted to build and design? Perhaps every rotten apple still had a soft and pure core. Wanting to help those who had faced destruction, too. The small smile he had grew, and he looked over his shoulder for a moment at the boy and the scraggy. In a way, he saw a lot of himself in the young man. Or at least it felt like he was gazing at a copy of himself from his youth with slightly better grades. "... I'm surprised. But if that's what you want to pursue, I'm glad. Not all have such noble goals."
His eyes turned back to the front. They quickly went down a golden stairway. The stairway was etched with golden calligraphy. The palace was beautiful. The origin stories varied, though. There were of course the historical accounts on why the golden building was erected, among those the usual prestige and such. Some had theorized the golden pleasure palace had been erected to keep the nobles busy under the king so that he could rule the land without much talk from the nobility. Some say the palace was the brainchild of a thousand year old god king that wanted something grand as himself to live in. Guy never really subscribed into any of these theories. The palace lost a lot of it's charm when you learned just how boring it was to live here.
"Do I like the job?" He paused for a moment. "It's... Alright. The pay's not the best. But I get a free room, some food, coffee..." His hand reached over to Quioxte, stroking the knight's helmet for a moment. "And Quioxte here was one of the early work benefits. While originally he was just supposed to be a rental pokemon of sorts, eventually the owner gave him to me officially as a sort of bonus for serving loyally." The knight pokemon cooed and clapped it's two spears together for a moment.
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Post by Serena on Mar 31, 2016 19:46:59 GMT
a few better choices and i'm on my way. ▼ » "D-don't get the wrong idea or anything" said Ross, his face flushed bright red. He'd been awfully worried that Guy was going to laugh at him. It was obvious that this aspiration wasn't something he usually told somebody about. "I-I just love designing stuff's all. When I'm idling, all I end up doing is picking up a pencil and starting to sketch floor plans. Kills stress dead." he said, but his eyes went a little starry when he spoke about his dream.
"An Escavalier, huh? With spears for hands, you really can't go wrong with a Pokemon like that from a defense perspective, even the people alive hundreds of years ago knew that. I'm not really into battling myself- Scrags is just a buddy." he admitted.
The Scraggy had perched himself over on a golden statue of a Bisharp, poking at the helm.
"C'mon, you little rascal, get off of there!" Ross scolded, before lifting Scrags by the seat of his molted-skin "pants". He returned his attention to Guy.
"Anyway... yeah. This place seems a little lonely, but having a Pokemon partner around must mitigate that. I feel like you're attached to here for another reason, though..." |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Apr 1, 2016 10:35:29 GMT
"We've all got dreams, boy. I'm just glad to hear that your dream is more realistic and not as... Ah." He trailed off at the end. He was about to say that at least his dream wasn't as rough as he looked, but that would have been insulting. He chose that the best option here was to simply change the subject as soon as possible. The two passed trough a large door and into the courtyard. The sun was setting in the distance, it's golden rays glistening against the rocky statues. While they were made of solid rock, they were still radiant. The pokeball statue especially was often shined by a few experts. He wasn't sure if it was rock or marble, but it looked like rock. He could be wrong, though. He wasn't a geologist or anything of the sort.
He chose to latch onto the battling instead of the scraggy that had climbed up the statue just before. The boy was alright. He didn't want to spend all his spite on the fellow. "Neither am I. He mostly orders himself, although... I've been considering catching another. Mostly for company, it can get dreadfully boring watching over the castle." Nothing ever happened. Sure, some Honedges came out to fight each other in the front, but they never broke anything. Some Murkrows flocked, but they never stole anything, mostly because everything was too heavy for them. Some people tried to tag the gates, and Quioxte drove them off almost instantly just by stinging them once or something like that. It was boring. And annoying to deal with.
"Attached?" He considered for a second. The only person he really knew well here was Selena, the maid that often brewed him coffee for his night shifts. Sweet girl, mid twenties. She'd go far if she just left this dump. But he didn't really consider her too important. Was that a cruel thing to think of? "... No. No, I wouldn't say that I'm really attached to this place. Quioxte's mine now. I could leave and I wouldn't miss this place. I'm just. Obliged. By the pay and..."
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Post by Serena on Apr 3, 2016 14:39:06 GMT
if that's how ya feel... ▼ » "... And?"
The kid cocked his head. "Obliged by what? You already said the pay ain't so hot. Quixote's yours no matter what. The least you could do is... well, live a little. Guys like you and me? We don't belong in ruts. And you, sir, seem like you're in a seriously big rut." chided Ross. Honestly, he was surprising himself with the words coming out of his mouth.
"If there wasn't something keeping you here, then some young guy like you wouldn't be here. I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but... if I had to take a wild guess, I'd say it's a reputation" he inferred. Had Guy done something for all the years he was here? There had to be something constraining him to this boring old tourist trap.
"This is the fanciest tourist trap I've ever seen, but it's still kind of that. A tourist trap." |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Apr 4, 2016 9:50:44 GMT
"I just am, alright? I feel like I'm tied by the contract. I've always been big on tying myself down if there's official contracts and the like. Loyalty's important, right? I... Hm. I betrayed someone once, a long time ago. Their expectations of me were shattered, and I've felt kind of empty after that, right? So I want to try and fill expectations set to me after that. To honor their memory." Why was he opening up to some random kid from Unova that would leave soon and go and spend some time with his delinquent friends and. And. Ghk, this was awkward. He looked over his shoulder at the other, squinting visibly for a second. A sort of "never talk about this to anyone" look, even if they barely knew each other.
"It is more than just a tourist trap." His head turned back to stare forwards. They'd find the item soon. Hopefully. This talk was giving him some bad memories from the past. Mother would've liked this place, yes she would. But she would've also liked if he had gotten a more prestigious job here rather than just being the night guard here. He grit his teeth together and sighed in a frustrated manner. "It's where the past of Kalos comes into a quick loop. Here all the greatest kings lived. It's a historical relic of the Ancien Regime."
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Post by Serena on Apr 6, 2016 23:26:39 GMT
found it! ▼ » "Ancient regime, eh? I'd honestly like to hear about it- even if I should get going once I find that trinket--"
*audible anime gleam*
"Oh, there it is!"
As the conversation continued out into the palace courtyard, a small, shiny object caught Ross' attention, still sparkling in the evening sunset.
But, as he reached for it... it seemed to creep away from him. He groped at it once more, and still it slid off, a small, pinkish aura surrounding it.
From out of the bushes stepped a pint-sized Espurr- a known guest of the huge building who would often mewl and beg outside until one of the chambermaids gave him a saucer of milk.
The silver photo locket was lifted onto his head like a lopsided crown, wrapping once around his ear.
If there was anything all of Kalos' various feline species had in common, it was their adoration of anything remotely reflective or shiny. Once any of them got their claws on something small and glittery, there was a high chance that you were not getting it back.
"Aw, shoot. Damn cat's gone and taken the pendant..." Ross mumbled, but held back his Scraggy as it attempted to start a fight with the thieving Espurr. "No, Scrags. It's just a tyke- if it wants my necklace so bad, it can keep it..." he said, gritting his teeth in a surrender. The photo locket opened up, and just inside there could be seen a photo of Ross with a young man that looked about his age. |
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Post by Guy Jacques on Apr 7, 2016 9:13:28 GMT
"If you want to spell it correctly, it'd be Ancien Règime." He nods, placing heavy focus on the word régime. It's hard to spell for foreigners, he could understand. "The Ancien Régime's a thing of the past now, obviously with no king, but there are many interesting kings in our history. I could get you a booklet they give out that has a family tree and some blurbs about the more interinging kings, Like A---" He's cut off by the audible gleam of the anime. And Ross. Probably Ross. He tilts his head as the locket moved little by little, until an Espurr revealed itself, wrapping the locket around it's ear. Espurr's always gave him the creeps. It was that empty stare they had. They were thinking constantly, and you could never really read WHAT they were thinking about. God knows he couldn't.
He raised his brow at the contents of the locked. Ross and some other man. Brother, perhaps. He waved his hand at Quioxte. "Let Quioxte handle this." The cavalier nodded and slowly floated over to the Espurr. It tilted it's head slightly, showing no signs of fear. Quioxte had socialized with the local pokemon population for years, so pokemon weren't too afraid of the gentle giant that served the night guards of the castle. Quioxte waved his lances about a bit, first at the picture in the locket and then at Ross. Words were shared in growls and grunts in an effort to try and convince the Espurr.
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